Brenton Strange 'definitely ready' to be Jaguars TE1: Former second-round pick a sleeper to thrive in 2025

Don't sleep on Brenton Strange in 2025

It's a new era in Jacksonville with head coach Liam Coen, general manager James Gladstone, and do-it-all first-round pick Travis Hunter arriving in Duval County. While the story surrounding the 2025 Jaguars will largely be centered on all of these new faces, the familiar ones carrying over into this new regime will also have a pivotal role to play. That includes tight end Brenton Strange. 

With the Jaguars moving on from veteran Evan Engram earlier this offseason and adding no true threat to the depth chart, Strange is in line to be a central figure in Coen's offense. Over his tenure, Engram averaged 102 targets per season with the Jaguars. Of course, not all of that will fall to Strange, and this will be an entirely new offense he's working in under Coen, but he'll certainly factor into the equation, and the 2023 second-round pick sounds ready to ascend. 

"I'm definitely ready for it," Strange told the O-Zone Podcast, via NFL.com. "I have a lot of confidence in myself, and I've always had a lot of confidence in myself. I feel like I'm always one of the best players on the field. I feel like that's the mentality I bring."

Strange was buried behind Engram on the depth chart over the last few years, catching just five passes as a rookie before enjoying a semi-breakout during his sophomore season in 2024, logging 411 yards receiving and 40 catches. As he looks forward to 2025 in hopes of surging even higher, he has a favorable schedule in front of him. Below, you can see Jacksonville's opponents for this season and where they ranked against tight ends last year (including playoffs).

Week	2025 opponent	2024 rec. yards per game allowed vs. TE (including playoffs)	NFL rank
1	vs. Panthers	54.12 yards	19th
2	at Bengals	65.53 yards	31st
3	vs. Texans	45.79 yards	10th
4	at 49ers	40.47 yards	4th
5	vs. Chiefs	65.15 yards	30th
6	vs. Seahawks	51.53 yards	17th
7	vs. Rams (in London)	66.00 yards	32nd
9	at Raiders	64.53 yards	28th
10	at Texans	45.79 yards	10th
11	vs. Chargers	45.89 yards	11th
12	at Cardinals	42.29 yards	7th
13	at Titans	37.41 yards	1st
14	vs. Colts	58.06 yards	26th
15	vs. Jets	43.41 yards	9th
16	at Broncos	49.00	14th
17	at Colts	58.06 yards	26th
18	vs. Titans	37.41 yards	1st

Meanwhile, six of the Jaguars' opponents in 2025 were in the bottom 10 in touchdowns allowed to tight ends during the 2024 regular season. That includes the Carolina Panthers (32nd) and Cincinnati Bengals (31st), whom Jacksonville plays over the first two weeks. So, Strange is set up well out of the gate to begin his third season.

The red area could prove to be a sweet spot for Strange, adopting a role that Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton flourished in last season, while Coen was the offensive coordinator. He saw 14 red zone targets and turned that into 10 receptions for 58 yards and four touchdowns. Overall, Strange does seem to be on a similar track to Otton, which bodes well for his chances for a Year 3 breakout. 

	Targets	Receptions	Receiving yards	Touchdowns
Cade Otton 2023 season (Year 2)	67	47	455	4
Brenton Strange 2024 season (Year 2)	53	40	411	2

On top of a favorable schedule and a tight-end-friendly coaching staff, Strange will also get the benefit of having wideouts Brian Thomas Jr. and rookie Travis Hunter commanding most of the defensive attention at the receiver position, further opening up pockets for the young tight end.